A Strange Turn of Events
by TWDGamerKenny'sBro
Summary: AU. What if Clementine didn't come across Luke and Pete after she got separated from Christa. What if she met up with someone different and unlikely. Whom, you may ask? Nate, of course! Can Clementine bring out the soft side in Nate? And can Nate live up to his responsibilities and take care of a child.
1. Chapter 1

Growing his beard out seemed like a good idea at the time. But looking back, Nate regretted his decision. The bristles that sprouted from his cheeks were quite irritating as he scratched his face in annoyance. He trudged wearily through the trees, clutching a rifle close to his chest.

It was nice to get out of the house for a bit, to breath in the morning air and explore his surroundings. _Tree. Another tree..._Wait, what was he doing out here again? Oh that's right, he was looking for some fellow survivors so that he could pump lead into their chests and rob their bloody corpses.

He paused for a moment when a noise caught his attention. Was it another walking corpse? No, it didn't sound like one of them, it sounded like... A scuffle. _Huh. Suppose I should check it out. _

He wandered aimlessly through the trees before stumbling across a camp. There were some torn apart tents along with a rusty van and a few objects scattered about. But his gaze fell upon the girl in the centre of the clearing. She was being attacked at the moment, by a dog. He hadn't seen a dog in a LONG time.

The mutt had it's teeth sunk into the girls arm, and seemed to be trying to tear her limb away from her shoulder. She was wearing a hat though. That was probably the most useless observation he had made but still, at least he had a nickname for her; Hat kid.

Nate began to consider what he should do. Maybe he should just stand and watch the dog maul Hat kid to death. That would be much more satisfying than killing the dog. Then again, if Hat kid was with a group and they discovered that he'd stood by and let the dog kill her, they'd probably kill him. Plus, if he saved the kid, he'd probably get a reward from her group.

Maybe he would be showered by loving affection from Hat kid's single, hot, mother... Okay, that was taking it a step to far. Nate grinned and lifted his rifle, aiming directly at the dogs head and squeezing the trigger.

BOOM. HEADSHOT.

Nate was rather impressed by his shooting skill as he watched a fountain of red spray out the side of the dogs head. It's body slumped down on top of Hat kid and lied completely still. Nate walked towards Hat kid with his head held high and kicked the dead corpse off of her.

The little girl looked up at him with wild eyes, her face splattered with the dogs blood, along with some of its brains on her purple shirt. "Get up, kid" he ordered.

Hat kid struggled to get up, her bitten arm seemed to be causing her great pain and she couldn't seem to push herself of the ground. Nate rolled his eyes and offered her his hand. She took it, and Nate helped her up.

"You're welcome" he hissed, slightly annoyed "Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

"Yes" she murmured quietly.

"Where are your folks, anyway?" He asked, glancing around at the lack of people.

"They're dead" she replied sadly.

"Aren't you in a crew?" He questioned.

"I was, but I got separated from my friend, Christa, they've guys attacked us and-"

"Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, I don't want to hear your sob story. Are you in a crew or not?"

"No, it's just me"

Nate groaned. Not only had he wasted a bullet but now he was saddled with a kid. Letting the dog maul her would have been so satisfying. Nate sighed. Maybe he could just leave her. No, he'd saved her, she wasn't just going to let him abandon her like that. He was stuck with her now.

"Your arm looks pretty fuckin' bad" Nate commented, waving his rifle around like it was a toy.

Hat kid nervously stepped back, her eyes fixed on the rifle, she was probably anxious because it might go off, since Nate's finger was still hovering over the trigger. "It feels bad too" she replied, rolling her purple stripped sleeve down her arm and covering the bit. Once it was covered, the fabric was almost instantly stained in blood.

"I suppose you should come with me" Nate droned, spinning on his heels and leading the way. Hat kid stood firmly in place, hesitating for a moment and then following. Once they were away from the camp there was quite an awkward silence between them.

Nate glanced over his shoulder at the little girl, who was clutching her injured arm tightly and wincing every so often. "You know, I got a ton of supplies but I'm not doctor so I don't really know how any of this medical shit works. But I'll figure it all out. Probably"

Hat kid grimaced.

"What's your name, anyway?" He asked.

"I'm Clementine" she replied, picking up her pace so that she could walk along side him.

"Clementine? Isn't that a fruit?"

"Um, yeah"

"You ever eaten one?"

Clementine paused "I don't know"

"How can you not know?" Nate asked, slightly confused by her answer. Clementine shrugged in response. "Well, my names Nate" he told her.

"Nate" Clementine repeated.

"Yeah, Nate, don't wear it out"

Another awkward silence washed through them. Clementine began to fall behind, she seemed tired. "My place is just up ahead, we'll be there in no time" Nate told her, only to realise he was talking to an empty space. He paused and turned around to see Clementine trudging rather slowly, struggling to keep up. "Could you hurry up?" That was more of an order than a request.

"I'll... be right.. There" her voice was strained and her skin was pale. She stopped dead in her tracks, her body swayed and her eyes rolled upwards. The next thing Nate knew, she was lying rigidly on the ground. The older man stared, not knowing what to do. Maybe this was his chance to ditch her, to carry on with his life like nothing ever happened. Then again, leaving a kid to die in the woods would probably come back to bite him on the ass and he didn't want that.

Nate sighed "The things I do"


	2. Chapter 2

Clementine drifted in and out of consciousness. Her eyelids were heavy every time she opened them. They would flutter for a brief moment, and her vision would become hazy and then she would she black out again. The last thing she remembered was being carried.

When she finally did come round, she noticed that her surroundings had altered. She was no longer outside but instead she was in a house, which was eliminated by candle light. It was cleared out of furniture, except for the table in front of her, which was the source of said candle light, and the chair she was in. Other than that, it was empty. Her head was swimming as an intense pain developed in her bitten arm. She whirled her head round, her gaze falling upon Nate, who was sitting with a chair pulled up beside her.

Clementine glanced at her arm to see that Nate was halfway through stitching the wound.

"Don't fucking move" Nate told her sternly "Seriously, if you move even a muscle I could end up causing a mess of this, and you don't want that". _And neither do I. The last thing I want is for her to bleed out_.

Clementine turned her head away and let out a small whimper, her eyes were clouded with tears. She clenched her jaw and refrained herself from crying out. Nate threaded the needle through her skin. "You know, if you had woken up sooner, I would have made you done this. But since I've already started, I may as well finish"

Nate was almost done, now. He accidentally stabbed Clementine with needle, causing the little girl to finally cry out a screech in agony. "Godfuckingdammit" he cursed, easing the needle through her skin and finishing off the wound. He lifted the needle and bit down on the thread, cutting it with his teeth. "Done" he commented, quite impressed by his sutchering skills.

Clementine sighed on relief "Thank god"

"Hey, it wasn't that bad, I tried my best"

She lifted her arm and examined the stitches. "I could do better" she murmured.

Nate narrowed his eyes and took that as an insult. He took hold of Clementine's arm and wrapped a bandage around it "I have to admit kid, you're pretty brave. I don't think I could handle that much pain"

"Thanks" she muttered.

Nate finished off bandaging her arm and then stood up, pushing his chair back "Now that that's over, lets grab something to eat, you hungry?" He asked her.

Clementine nodded "Starving"

Nate rummaged around the kitchen, searching through several cupboards. "I got a lotta tinned shit, you want any of that? What do kids eat these days anyway?"

"I'll have some canned stuff, I guess" Clementine replied.

"Oh, and while you were out cold I put some peroxide on your arm so it might sting a bit"

"Peroxide? Tinned food? Where did you get all these supplies?" She asked, glancing over at him.

Nate pulled a can out of a cupboard and stood up straight. Answering her with 'I killed a bunch of people and took all their shit' probably wasn't a good idea. "I, uh, I was a scavenger a while back and I gathered a lot of stuff over time by doing-" he paused "-Supply runs". That was a lie, but it wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

"Okay then" she responded simply with a nod.

_Heh, what a gullible kid. _Nate snorted a laugh. Clementine raised an eyebrow at his odd behaviour but brushed it aside mere moments later.

"So, do you like sweet corn?" He asked, showing her the tin.

"Um, yeah"

"Good, because you're having sweet corn". He attempted to open the can but failed miserably. "Fuck" he cursed crossly, opening a few drawers next to him "There's gotta be a can open around here somewhere" he muttered to himself.

"I have a pen knife, you could always use that" Clementine offered.

"Really? Well, hand it over then"

Clementine dug deep into her pockets and pulled out a pen knife, handing it to him. Nate lifted the knife and stabbed the lid of the can three times, before prying it open. He placed the knife on the kitchen unit and took a spoon from one of the drawers. He then walked round and slumped down in a chair across from Clementine, sliding the spoon and can over to her. "Eat up"

"Thanks" she murmured, picking up the spoon and scooping some sweet corn out of the can.

Nate sat back and watched her eat, before leaning forwards and resting his arms on the table "So, you got any plans? Because I can't let you stay here for very long. I'm no good with kids. Really, I'm shit at taking care of children."

Clementine paused from eating and held the sweet corn filled spoon in the air "Well, I need to find my friend Christa, she's out there somewhere". _Maybe I won't be saddled with this kid after all. _Nate thought to himself while smirking.

"Well, you'll have to wait for the dead to clear out first before you can go anywhere. They're lurking out there" Nate commented, gesturing at the window to the side of the table.

Clementine glanced outside, catching a small glimpse of movement, and then turned back to Nate "Could I stay here, you know, for the night?" She asked.

Nate sighed gruffly "I suppose" he grumbled.

Clementine smiled warmly at his response, her face beamed. Nate felt somewhat warm inside. A tingling sensation rushed through his body. He gave her a brief smile in return but quickly turned his head away and glanced awkwardly around the empty room. _Don't go soft on her, Nate, you don't even know her._

"Anyway, where were you two headed, any where interesting?" He asked, changing the subject.

Clementine swallowed some sweet corn and then refilled her spoon "We were going to Wellington" she answered, putting the spoon in her mouth.

"Wellington? I heard a bit about that place, but I don't buy it, it sounds like a load of bullshit"

"There's supposed to be a camp up near Michigan and the cold slows the walkers down"

"Walkers? Is that what you call 'em?" He questioned her words.

"Yeah, walkers"

"It's more imaginative than 'dead', I suppose" he muttered, scratching his itchy cheeks. _Stupid beard._

Clementine placed her spoon down on the table "Maybe you could help me find Christa, and then we could all go up to Wellington together" she suggested.

"Now hold on, kid. I said I'm no good with children and I don't want to look after you any longer than I have to, no offence. Plus, I don't want to get involved. I'm better off on my own"

"Everyone needs someone" Clementine replied.

"I said I'm better off on my own" he insisted "You just keep your shit to yourself and I'll keep my shit to myself. Look, you're welcome to stay here tonight but I'd prefer it if you left tomorrow morning"

"Tomorrow?" she questioned.

"Yeah, take off tomorrow morning and go find Christa or whatever, I don't really care"

"Oh... Okay". She seemed a little disappointed.

Nate pushed his chair back and stood up "You done with that?" He asked, pointing at the canned sweet corn.

Clementine nodded briefly in response "Yeah"

"I think I'm going to turn in" he murmured, trudging across the room and towards a door. He turned back and watched as Clementine picked up the empty can and spoon. She placed the can on the kitchen unit by the pen knife and the spoon by the sink. Nate raised an eyebrow at how she had politely cleaned her meal up but he couldn't be bothered to question it.

He opened the door he was standing beside and paused, leaning back against the door frame as Clementine walked over to him. "Do I get a room?" She asked.

"There's only one room and it's mine" he replied, gesturing at the bedroom he was about to enter.

"Where am I suppose to sleep?"

"On the floor"

Clementine glanced at the floor and grimaced. It didn't look very comfy. "You want me to sleep on the floor?"

"I'm sure you've slept in worse places. You should be grateful that you actually have a roof over your head"

Clementine stared sadly at him, seemingly giving him the puppy dog eyes. Nate sighed and went into his room, rummaging around inside before returning. "Catch" he said simply, throwing a bedroll at her. "It's a sleeping bag, you know how to unroll it, right?"

"Sure I do" Clementine replied.

"Good" and with that he walked into his room and slammed the door behind him.

Clementine clutched the sleeping bag and stood in the darkened room, the door slamming had caused a draft which had blown out the candles. "Goodnight" she whispered softly.

* * *

The light of dawn shone through the window, brightening the room. Clementine opened her eyes and sat up, her stiff bones cracked. Nate was right, she had slept in worse places, but the sleeping bag wasn't much different to the hard, stone, cold floor. At least added a bit of comfort.

She crawled out of the bedroll and stood up. She glanced around the room, taking note that Nate's bedroom door was wide open. She walked up to it and knocked on the door before peering inside. The bed was empty and the sheets were upturned. Nate wasn't there.

Not wanting to get caught in Nate's room, she quickly backed out. If he wasn't in his room or anywhere else, then he must be out side. Clementine walked up to the front door and opened it without thinking.

A walker was standing outside, it's head spun around when it caught the scent of human flesh. Clementine backed away, accidentally tripping over her own feet. She fell back and bashed her head on the hard floor, the slight head trauma sending her into a daze. Her vision blurred as the walker lunged at her, throwing itself on top of the little girl.

Clementine reached out her arms and latched onto the walkers wrists, holding it above her as it attempted to sink it's snapping teeth into her neck. Her bitten arm stung, helping her realise that she didn't have the strength to hold the walker off forever. Her arms weakened as she quickly pulled her legs up, she let go of the walkers wrists and kicked it off, allowing her to crawl out from underneath.

Clementine squealed as the walker grabbed hold of her foot and attempted to pull her ankle towards it's jaws. Clementine kicked it in the face, stunning it for a brief moment, causing the walker to release her foot.

She staggered to her feet and backed away, looking frantically around the room in search of a weapon. To her right was Nate's rifle and to her left was her pen knife on the kitchen unit. She glanced back at the walker to see that it was now on it's feet, and that it's stomach was wide open and it's guts were spilling out.

Clementine stared at the rifle. She didn't know how to use one. Well, she did, kind of. Christa said it was like shooting a hand gun, but she also said that she wasn't ready to use one since the recoil strong. Clementine made her choice and ran towards the kitchen unit, scooping up her pen knife and turning towards the walker.

She ran up to the walker and stamped on its knee, it's leg buckled and it collapsed onto its hands and knees. Clementine twisted her arm and stabbed the walker in the back of the head, killing it. It's body went slack and fell limply to the ground.

"What the fuck?!" the familiar voice of Nate yelled in surprise. The eleven year old panted heavily and lifted her head to see Nate standing in the doorway, holding a bottle in his hand. She guessed it was alcohol.

"Can't a man step out to get a drink without shit hitting the fan back home?!" He exclaimed as he stormed into the room.

"Where were you?" Clementine asked breathlessly.

"In the cellar outside, it's where I keep my whiskey- wait, don't change the subject. That thing is gonna stink up the place" he said, pointed at the walker on the ground "It's your mess, help me move it"

Nate grabbed onto the arms while Clementine took hold of the legs and together they carried it outside. Clementine took in her surroundings as the two walked besides the small, simple log cabin and dumped the body a good distance away. She scanned the trees, checking for more walkers when her eyes fell upon the truck parked close by house.

"Is that yours?" She asked, walking up to it.

"Yeah." Nate stated simply as he followed her over. "Ain't she a beauty?" He asked, patting the bonnet.

"It's nice, I guess" Clementine murmured "Does it work?"

"No" Nate replied with a sigh as he climbed onto the front of the truck and sat on it "This bad boy used to take me all over the place but now it's broken, there's something wrong with the engine, I've tried to fix it but I've had no luck"

"Maybe you could try again, if you fix this then it good gets us to Wellington" Clementine said, copying Nate by sitting on the truck.

"What is it with you and Wellington?" He grumbled.

"Because the camp there might be real and Christa could be there. There might be people you know there"

"Everyone I know is dead" Nate replied, a touch of sadness in his voice. Clementine gave him a sympathetic look. "There might be some tail, though" he muttered with a grin on his face.

"'Tail'?" Clementine questioned his words.

"You're too young to know about that stuff kid". Nate paused, lost in thought. Maybe he could take the kid to Wellington after all. He could get the truck working. They could find Christa. He might even be able to bang her. Yes, maybe ditching the kid wasn't a good idea after all. Plus, he'd missed being on the road and he fancied a road trip. He smirked. _This'll be fun._

"You know what, Clementine?" Nate said, turning towards her.

"What?"

"I think we can do this"

* * *

**I must admit, not much happens in this chapter. But oh boy, character development! Everyone loves that. **

**So Nate has a change of heart mostly because he wants tail and maybe in for a chance at banging Christa. But he seems to be warming up to Clementine a bit, he just doesn't want to admit it ;) **


End file.
